Dispenser cabinet



Jan. 24, 1961 BOTNICK DISPENSER CABINET Fild Feb. 9. 1959 INVENTOR. 507 I06 United States PatentO DISPENSER CABINET Irlin Botnick, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Kromex Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio Filed Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 792,186

1 Claim. (Cl. 225-43) This invention relates to cabinet structures and particularly to a cabinet for storing and dispensing sheet materials packaged in continuous strip form.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a cabinet for storing and dispensing paper towels, waxed paper, metallic foils and plastic films that are packaged in roll form.

Another object is to provide such a cabinet that can store and dispense a plurality of such items simultaneously.

Another object is to provide a device of the type stated that affords complete protection for the stored rolls when not in use, while at the same time holding them instantly available when needed.

A further object is to provide a cabinet of the type stated having semi-cylindrical covers for each held roll that can be rotated between open and closed positions and that will maintain such alternate positions as long as desired.

Still another object is to provide such a device that will hold rolls of varied length and diameter.

A further object is to provide a device of the type stated that is compact in size, pleasing in appearance and reliable in operation.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification and claim, together with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser cabinet that is the subject of this invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the same with portions broken away to show the interior;

Figure 3 is a left end view of the device with the upper cover open and portions broken away to show the contained paper and foil rolls; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged expanded view of the left end paper-towel engaging knob assembly.

Referring more particularly to the drawing there is seen the dispenser cabinet that is the subject of this invention, broadly indicated by the reference numeral 10. While the cabinet may be used to store and dispense any type of sheet material packaged as a continuous strip, or web, on a tubular roller, in the form illustrated, the three most commonly used items are shown, namely, paper towels 32, waxed paper 33, and aluminum foil 35.

The cabinet comprises a sheet metal housing of suitable non-corrosive or plated metal having top (11), bottom (12), rear (13) and end walls 14 and 15, respectively. The end walls 14 and 15 are substantially right-triangular in shape. The hypotenuse of the walls 14 and 15 form the front edge thereof to provide a housing that is open to the front, without any interior partitions. It is common practice to provide approximately the same length web of paper towels, waved paper and foil in each packaged roll, but due to the fact that these materials vary greatly in thickness the diameter of a roll of paper towels is substantially greater than that of a "ice roll of aluminum foil, while the diameter of a roll of waxed paper is intermediate the two.

It is for that reason that the radii of the cover elements 16, 17 and 18, to be described hereinafter, are progressively smaller since they are associated with the paper towels, the waxed paper and the foil rolls, 32, 33 and 35 respectively. Reference numeral 24 indicates three similar, vertically spaced, shafts mounted at the forward edge of the end wall 14. These shafts are spaced apart a distance proportioned to the diameter ofthe various rolls to be accommodated. The shaft 24 has a beaded end 27, positioned on the outer face of the wall 14 and a split retaining ring 28 positioned against the inner face of the end wall 14, thereby locking the shaft in place through the wall, as seen most clearly in Figure 4. .A semi-circular end cap 21 is mounted on the shaft 24, free to rotate thereon. The cap 21 has a laterally extend ing finger tab 19, whose purpose will be explained hereinafter. A shouldered knob 26 is mounted on the shaft 24 inwardly of the cap 21. The knob 26 is free to rotate on the shaft and to move longitudinally thereof. A washer 29 is also mounted on the shaft 24 and is prevented from falling ed the end thereof by a second split retaining ring 30, positioned at the extreme inner end of the shaft 24., Reference numeral 31 indicates a coil spring mounted on the shaft between the cap 21 and the knob 26 which acts to normally bias the knob 26 to the inner end of the shaft 24 as is most clearly seen in Figure 2.

Reference numeral 23 indicates three shafts rigidly mounted through the end wall 15 at the forward edge thereof, on centers aligned with those of the shafts 24. Reference numerals 22 and 25 indicate a cap and knob rotatably mounted on the shaft 23. The semi-cylindrical covers 16, 17 and 18 are those mounted on their respective caps as seen in Figures 1 and 2, between the end walls 14 and 15. Each cover has a toothed cutting edge 20 positioned normal to the bottom edge thereof. The cover assemblies 16, 17 and 18 are rotatable on the shafts 24 and 25 between a first position wherein they close the front of the housing, and a second position wherein they rotate backward into the housing to open the front of the housing to permit free access thereto. The travel of the various covers between their two positions is limited by the finger tabs 19 which alternately contact the front edges of the end Walls 14 and 15, above and below the center of rotation of the several covers.

Due to the rearward inclination of the front edges of the housing end walls 14 and 15, the greater mass of the covers will be to the rear of their axes of rotation when the tabs 19 contact the side wall edges, thereby holding the covers in their fully open position, under the force of gravity. With the covers in their open posi' tions the cabinet can be easily loaded. In its unloaded condition, as seen in Figure 2 (in the area behind cover 16), the knob 26 is positioned at the inner end of the shaft 24 by the spring 31.

It will be further evident that the normal distance between the knobs 25 and 26 is less than the length of the tubular roller 34 of the waxed paper roll 33 shown mounted in the area behind cover 17. To mount such a roller 34, the left end of the roller is fitted to the knob 26 and then pushed to the left against the spring 31 until the right end of the roller can be slipped over the knob 25. Upon release of the roller the spring 31 will urge the knob 26 to the right, thereby retaining the roller 34 between the two knobs in spring pressed engagement.

With the cover fully open it is easy to find the end of the paper, and pull it forward and out of the housing. The pressure of the spring 31 will prevent free rolling of the paper so that when the pulling action is stopped 'While the construction illustrated;concernsa-three tiered cabinet it should be understood-'thata cabinet for a single roll of-paper or foil would' embodythesame construction as the structure of theindividdab units:-

It will now be clear that there is provided-avdevi'ce' which accomplishes.- the objectivesheretoforeset forth: While the invention has been disclosed in its pre'ferred form, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof as described and illustrated-herein is '--not-to'be considered in a limited sense as there may beotherforms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the-scope oftlieappended claim.

'I- claim:

A cabinet for dispensingsheet materials packaged in web form on-tubular rollers,- comprising in combination,

a housing open to the front, havingtop, bottom, rear; and

on separate shafts mounted at the forward edges thereof;

shaft being movable longitudinally thereof and normally biased toward the inner endthere'of by" a helical spring positioned over the shaft between the knob and end cap andbearing against both; the said knobs being adapted to receive and hold theweb roller therebetween, in spring pressed engagement; the cover and =associated'roller supporting knobs being rotatable between a first, closed, position wherein thefinger" tab rests-against the end Wall below the center of rotation of the cover and the cutter is engaged with the web to efiect severence thereof along the line of engagement upon lifting the Web upward thereagainst, and a second, open,- position; wherein-the finger tab rests'against-the 'end wall "abovethe center of rotation of the cover; after-the cover andspring 'cou-' pled roller supporting knobs have beenrotated in a counter clock-wise direction to deliver-"the end of the web through'the' housingwpenings," within easy graspof the user.

ReferencesCitedin' the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS l;682,592 Ba'rkeriet al. -Aug;"28, 1928 2,093,562 HOpe= Sept; 21,1937 2,250,774 Piller July 29; '1941 2,482,714 Mell Sept 20, 1949 

